President Muhammadu Buhari, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), yesterday, tasked Nigerians on peaceful coexistence without which they said development would continue to elude the country.

The leaders spoke at the 15th Convocation Ceremony of Igbinedion University Okada, Edo State, where honorary doctorate degrees were conferred on Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, business mogul, Olorogun Oskar Ibru and Umar Ibrahim Mantu, son of former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu.

Buhari, who spoke through a Director in the Ministry of Education, Joel Ojo, reiterated the need for peace in Nigeria, stressing, “we must embrace peace at all cost before we can make progress. The cost of war is unquantifiable; it is unnecessary and should be eschewed. I assure you that the federal government will continue to provide security to protect the citizens and the inhabitants of this country.”

In his goodwill message, Abubakar said it was only when there is peace that education can flourish in the country, even as he lauded the recipients of various honorary doctorate degrees, situating their choice on recognition of their services to humanity.

“To the students, let me urge you to continue to be the good students you have been. I am very happy to say that Igbinedion University has a reputation of peace and harmony. Talking of peace, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to ensure we maintain peace. If there is no peace, there will be no university, if there us no peace, there will be no country so it is our duty to ensure that there us peace, I call on all of us to maintain peace and also to our citizens right”.

On his part, Akeredolu said the country must take the issue of education seriously for its development, adding: ” I am convinced that only a handful of the members of this distinguished audience will disagree with me that our country is in dire strait.

Considering where we were especially in this part of the country during the First Republic, we should be far less dependent on other nations of the world for basic means of sustenance. It is however embarrassingly so today”.

He said there us disconnect between the curricula adopted for training On Nigerians and the current realities.

Earlier, Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, represented by his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, said his administration has focused on skill acquisition, vocational and technical education to make graduates employable.

Dignitaries at the ceremony included former governor of Edo state, Lucky Igbinedion, Esama of Benin Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, his wife Cherry among others.